“You’re plan is so vague,” said one of the judges of the Public Relations Students’ Congress (PRSC) in the Grand Prix.

PRSP, established on February 19, 1957, is a non-stock, non-profit organization by leading PR practitioners in the country. Its mission is to advance the practice of public relations by (1) uniting those engaged in the profession; (2) encouraging continuing education of practitioners; (3) generating public confidence in the profession by promoting high ethical practice and encouraging high standards of public service; (4) playing the active role in all matters affecting the practice of public relations; (5) and strengthening the relationships of public relations professionals with various stakeholders.

Being the premier organization for public relation professionals who represent business and industry, government, non-profit organizations, hospitals, schools, hotels and professional services among others, Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) facilitates an annual prestigious competition among different colleges and universities in the Philippines called PRSC.

The said competition was joined by prestigious colleges and universities nationwide, such as University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, De La Salle University Manila, De La Salle University Dasmarinas, University of Santo Tomas, Southville International School and Colleges, St. Paul University Manila, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, including the five-time champion, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.

This year’s theme was Bagong Pinoy, Bagong Pinas, New Filipinos, New Philippines. Each school will present a market plan, and its case study is to brand the Philippines in the 21st century, just like how other countries branded theirs, such as Malaysia Truly Asia, Incredible India, and Hong Kong Live Life.

This year’s screening committee of the competition is composed of a dynamic and competent line-up of PR Practitioners. The following screening committee includes Stratworks PR Manager Harold Geronimo, WestRim, Inc. Communications Head Lou de Guzman, Publicus’ General Manager Malou Tiquia, former MeadJohnson’s Corporate Communications Manager Judd Sales, Globe Telecoms’ Head of Community Relations Division, Jeff Tarayao, Full Circle Communications Account Executive Paolo Escalona, MRM Worldwide (McCann-Erickson) Project Manager Mabie Encarnacion and Chito Maniago, Chairman of the 2010thPR Education and Student Affairs Council of PRSP and Senior Manager for Corporate Communication of Pfizer Inc.

From number schools, only seven advanced into the finals, the PRSC Grand Prix: Colegio de San Juan de Letran, De La Salle University- Dasma, De La Salle University-Manila, the 5-peat champion Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Southville International School and Colleges, St. Paul University Manila, and after six years of wait, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for the first time has been qualified to enter the finals of the PRSC. The UST got the 2nd highest place in the screening.

Whoever wins the said competition; their plan will be submitted and presented to the Office the President. The criteria for a good marketing plan are issues involved in the plan that grasped the problem, effectiveness and attainability, creativity of collaterals, presentation and handling of questions.

But the UST’s theme Philippines I’m Home was not able to win in its congress debut. One judge said that their plan was vague, but did not explain anything to supplement his critic. Jose Margo Flores, one of the members of the UST team, contested, “Our case study is more of internal, if you’re going to review it, it’s not like promoting tourism in the Philippines as what other countries are doing; Philippines, I’m Home aims to capture the internal being of the Filipinos. The Judges didn’t understand Philippines as home; they misunderstood the plan as for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW’s) to return to their nation and serve as idles in their home.” “Home indicates idleness,” said one of the judges.

One of their coaches, Ruel Ferrer said to the team, “You’re plan is not vague, his comment is. A communicator should be able to communicate his comments well.”

Other judges also questioned their logo being Nippa Hut. They said that Nippa hut, the logo, and other designs such as banig, halo-halo, and jeepney were considered old styles in the 21st century and defined the country’s inferiority.

“We feel that ours is really a brand name, other participants sounded like a shampoo product and one even used the Panatang Makabayan as part of their presentation,” said Flores. \ Ferrer said, “PLM’s Shine Pinoy and DLSU-Dasma’s Angat Pinoy were more of a good strategy in a plan than a brand for the country. These “strategies” would have been better if they were to be use in our own plan which is Philippines, I’m Home.”

Despite their lost, the team is still happy with the result of their marketing plan, “Masaya kame nung natapos yung contest kahit di kame nanalo, yung feeling na nakagawa kame ng magandang plan,” said Flores.

“Awards are just supplementary; I think that they have made a good marketing plan. They did their campaign well,” said Ferrer.

For the team, they don’t have any regrets. Even the feeling of “we should have done this or that.”

The UST team was composed of different senior communications students from different sections in the University of Santo Tomas, faculty of Arts and Letters, who are taking up Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) under Mr. Ramon “Bong” Osorio.

Osorio gave his students, six groups per section, a case study called Bagong Pilipinas, which served as a screening for the students who are going to participate in the said competition. The plan was composed of products, services, and advocacies. The participants were chosen depending on their outputs in IMC—how they presented their works and their level of participation in the class.

They were grouped according to their specialties—Accounts, Tactics and Creatives. Accounts will form the plan on paper, Tactics will think of a way how to do the strategy in paper, and the Creatives will execute the plan. Basa, the group leader was also in charge of the Accounts.

Their coaches, who are professors in the media department in faculty, include Mr. Ramon “Bong” Osorio, Mr. Ruel Ferrer, and Mr. Nicky Salandanan. These coaches helped them through guidance in their brainstorming in the PR integrated plan, how they would present, what should they tackle, and what approach should they use. The participants submitted drafts to their coaches to be corrected and hear recommendations.

In the span of their preparation, they experienced tension in meeting their deadlines. The Creatives have to wait for the accounts to finish the paper before they could start their duties, and once the paper reaches them, they are pressured to finish it in a short period of time.

Another problem that they have encountered is the financing. They have to shed their own money just to produce the collaterals, costumes, props, and designs for their presentations. Over all, it cost them P16,000. But the university promised them to reimburse their expenses.

“Our block mates were very supportive. Let’s face the fact that as a student, P500 is already heavy, however, they are still there,” said Deedah Velasquez.

Yung first time, hindi naman talaga siya magaling magsulat o di nga rin siya gaanong mahilig magsulat, pero nagsusulat siya every once in a while, di ko lang alam ngayon, baka nagsosolve, oo. Though writing is not his real forte, he’s into science, math, and the likes. The things that I dislike most, we don’t speak the same language, actually, hanggang ngayon, pag naguusap kami may mga times na hindi kami nagkakaintindihan. AB and BS kasi. Pero we find a way to understand each other. He’s teaching me his language (hindi literal na pagtuturo ah, explanation lang pag wala na talaga kong maintindihan), though minsan nabobore ako, pero kahit papaano naman, marami akong naaadapt, marami akong natututunan, I’m even using it pa nga in my daily conversation with other people e. He’s one of the best friends that I’ve ever had. He’s my ex-boyfriend, my first boyfriend. I’ve met him at our first day of high school. He’s an old student of our school and I’m a transferee. I vividly remember our first meeting. He was patiently waiting for me at the gate of the school together with his childhood friend that I’ve met the summer before the school year. Then, his childhood friend introduced us, since then, we became friends, close friends, and even best friends. After two months of getting to know each other and becoming friends, he courted me for another two months, and on the 6th day of October 2004, at our early age of 13, we became “lovers”. Ang landi no? Ang bata-bata lumalandi. Haha. Naalala ko pa yung tulang ginawa niya nung “best friends” palang kami. Eto yung excerpt, di ko na masyadong memorized e:

“The Girl of My Dreams”The girl of my dreamsAppeared in my sleep.She was so beautiful from tip to tipWhen she passed by,I did weep.

Pero there is one truth that I can never deny. I can still easily fall for good writings. And then I realized one thing, if you will get to know the one behind the writing, mas madali ka pa lang maiinlove sa writer more than their writings. Tsk. Bakit ba hindi ko binalaan yung sarili ko? Di ko kasi alam na may ganung klaseng setting pala ang buhay. Oh yes, I fell in love with a writer. First time? I don’t think so; it’s not the first time.

Monday, September 6, 2010

“The Quest for the Next Ideal Communication Arts Personality, also known as Mr. and Ms. Communication Arts will indeed make an impact to the whole of Communication Arts Students’ Association, even to whole Faculty of Arts and Letters (Artlets) community,” said Rogelio Mariano Jr., Vice President Internal of CASA and the officer-in-charge of the upcoming MMCA in an ambush interview at the Artlets Student Council office while rushing with the (legal) papers of the said event.

In the past years, MMCA has always been a traditional pageant; a search conducted for the representatives of every section of the CA students to represent their major/society in the college’s/faculty’s pageant called the Mr. and Ms. Arts and Letters (MMAB). But the CASA executive board promised that this year’s MMCA will make a difference; a difference that will leave an unforgettable mark to the hearts and minds of every Artlets.

Breaking the tradition will be a hard task for them to perform. But how will they do it? First thing that they have done is to think of a concept that will help them attain their unique goal. All things should start with vision and purpose. They envisioned using the “pageant” to help their society bloom and make a boom.

This year’s MMCA is entitled, “TYPECAST”, a production term which means a person who always portray a certain characteristic of a character in plays/productions and cannot portray other roles. This title is an irony of their concept/theme which is “breaking stereotypes”.

“The society has a way of limiting us,” said Mariano.

That is why Typecast will repackage the students; it will be a campaign of real beauty of the CASANS, beauty that is not just based on face value, but that with essence and substance; beauty that is found in the inside and outside of an individual. This “pageant” will let the people see that CASANS are not only good singers, dancers, and beauty queens, but they are the people with so much substance, talents, skills, and confidence.

Typecast also aims to give a social awareness that people should not be bound by stereotypes and should not do stereotyping as well. There are more to it than what the eyes can see and minds can perceive.

It also goes beyond the traditional type of choosing representatives—voting—that is based on face value, popularity, and lots of friends. The “pageant” will present a complete package of the contestants. They will undergo series of trainings like, writing and acting trainings, personality development and so much more.

Typecast will also give opportunities to all its guilds to function. The guilds are Chronicle, Retorika, CASA Cast, and others. The Chronicle’s task is to conduct the writing trainings for the contestants, Retorika will hold the public-speaking trainings, and through the community development that is spearheaded by the CASA Cast, the contestant will hold an acting workshop to the children who have a passion on acting but cannot afford to attend workshops.

The screening for MMCA just happened last month at St. Raymund’s Building, room 106. The judges for the screening are last years’ AB’s representatives to “The Search for the Ideal Thomasian Personality”, Cristina Cipriano and Alex Aroa, department adviser, Mr. Nicky Salandanan, CASA guild heads, and CASA executive boards. Out of 20 pairs, 9 pairs have just been chosen to get to the MMCA: Typecast.

The pageant will be held on the 17th Day of September at the Albertus Magnus Auditorium, also known as the Education Auditorium.

As parting words, Mr. Mariano said that, “We hope that we could use this interview as an opportunity to extend ourselves to those who would be sponsors and co-presentors. Thank you.”